After writing a rather depressing post about the current state of some of the larger issues in Dwarf Fortress, I've come to the conclusion that there are quite a few that have not been discussed much lately, therefore I figured a thread where we can list, and discuss these issues would be a good idea.
You could call this a call for attention for these bugs/features/issues, or a list of complaints etc... But this is not supposed to be a "screw the creator(s)" thread. If anything, this thread would ideally serve as a "oh damned.... I sort of hoped they'd forgotten about those" reminder for Toady and Threetoe. Sometimes It's easier to forget and move on to the fun stuff, and leave the boring bugs behind.
First on the list is the big nasty beast itself: Frames Per Second (or death from too much fun)
As people grow accustomed to the build-in death traps and common gameplay mechanics that cause forts to die, the main reason for giving up on a grown fortress is lagg. As thing go slower and slower, it no longer becomes fun, or interesting to watch the miserable (or joyful) existence of ones hated (loved) dwarves.
Having done next to no research on the topic myself, the general consensus is that path-finding and temperature calculations are the main culprits behind the downfall of most Dwarven Outposts. Personally, I tend to just turn off temperature once things get too slow, but those that don't have the luxury of top-end might see this as more of an issue than I do.
As the threads on efficient magma-pumpstacks have showed, moving magma is something that when done wrong will have a drastic effect on your game performance. Perhaps something as simple as lowering the frequency of temperature calculations (especially caused by fluid calculations) could perhaps be a make-shift solution.
The other resource hog is pathfinding. But as I understand it, the pathfinding algorithm used by dwarf fortress is something we'll just have to live with. Improvements that involve pre-memorized paths between commonly used areas have been suggested, but these seem to run into problems when dealing with sudden path changes (Bridges and locked doors). Perhaps the system could be implemented with fixed nodes and continuous pathchecks between the nodes, instead of the memorized paths? That's up to Toady, but despite being a b*tch to adress, and the amount of forum attention it has gathered, I felt it should be mentioned.
Next in line is the current state of Anarchy that has been reported in recent Dwarven Outposts.
No Tax is being collected, no criminals are being hammered! And Dwarves seems to have forgotten how to tame fanciful beasts!
Yes, all you need is a few changes in the RAWs. But there is an underlying issue with positions that are appointed by a position that is appointed by a far away ruler.
And as if anarchy wasn't enough, there's also the extreme case of Naturalism that exists in Dwarven Outposts across the many lands and worlds.
Sure, a few naked children here and there is just fine... But the current madness that is clothing should perhaps be considered. Something has to be done with the current state of nakedness that is running rampant trough the Dwarven Civlization!
Last on my list (feel free to add your own!) is the lack of physics in the construction department of world generation!
Note: This is meant as a friendly (or nagging perhaps) reminder, nothing more. And I wish Toady good luck with the current and future development cycles. Perhaps it is time to look under the old carpets before purchasing a new table?
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Topic: Longstanding (swept under the rugs) Issues - What and why? (Read 5185 times)